den her/det her
This (Den Her/det Her)
Use den her for common gender nouns, det her for neuter nouns, and de her for plural nouns. It is the everyday spoken equivalent of 'this'.
How It Works
In Danish, when you want to point to something close to you ('this'), you use a combination of a demonstrative pronoun and the word her (here).
1. Choosing the right form:
- den her: Used with common gender nouns (en-words).
- det her: Used with neuter gender nouns (et-words).
- de her: Used for all plural nouns.
2. The 'Bare Noun' Rule:
When you use these as adjectives (e.g., 'this car'), the noun must be in its indefinite form. You do not add the definite suffix to the end of the noun. This is because the demonstrative already makes the noun specific.
Example: den her bil (this car), NOT den her bilen.
3. Pronoun vs. Adjective:
These can stand alone as pronouns ('What is this?') or modify a noun ('This book is good'). In speech, the words den, det, or de receive strong stress to show they are pointing at something specific.
Examples (5)
- Jeg vil gerne købe den her bog.
I would like to buy this book.
Word by Word: I will gladly buy this here book.
'Bog' is a common gender noun (en bog), so we use 'den her'.
- Hvad koster det her?
How much does this cost?
Word by Word: What costs that here?
When 'this' refers to an unknown object or a general situation, 'det her' is the default pronoun.
- De her sko er for små.
These shoes are too small.
Word by Word: Those here shoes are for small.
'Sko' is plural, so we use 'de her' regardless of the original gender.
- Kan du lide det her hus?
Do you like this house?
Word by Word: Can you like that here house?
'Hus' is a neuter noun (et hus), so we use 'det her'.
- Den her kage smager godt.
This cake tastes good.
Word by Word: That here cake tastes good.
Notice that 'kage' is in its basic form, not 'kagen'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'double definiteness' by adding the suffix -en/-et to the noun.
den her bilenden her bilIn Danish, you cannot have both a demonstrative (den her) and a definite suffix (-en) on the same noun. Use the 'bare' indefinite form of the noun.
Using 'det her' as a universal 'this' for all nouns.
det her kopden her kopYou must match the gender of the noun. Since it is 'en kop', you must use 'den her'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'den her' and 'det her' correctly, you must first understand Danish noun genders (common vs. neuter) and how the basic pronouns 'den' and 'det' function as markers for those genders.
Related Patterns
- den der/det derThat (Den Der/det Der)
'Den der' is the distal counterpart, meaning 'that' (over there), whereas 'den her' means 'this' (right here).
Level 1 - denne/dette/disseThis / These (Formal)
These are the formal written versions of 'den her/det her'. They are rarely used in casual speech.
Level 3 - No Double Definiteness
This rule explains why we don't add suffixes to nouns when using demonstratives like 'den her'.
Level 2 - Noun Gender
Understanding common vs. neuter gender is essential for choosing between 'den her' and 'det her'.
Level 1 - her/derHere / There
These are the basic adverbs for 'here' and 'there' that form the basis of the demonstrative phrases.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice den her/det her in Bubblegum
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